Key Takeaways

Have you noticed how peaceful and relaxed children look while they’re coloring? Well, there’s substance behind this seemingly childish activity. Experts say that coloring can be an excellent way to relax — especially for adults.

So what is it about coloring that is luring in so many adults? The answer lies in how you react when you're coloring.

“One way to look at mental health is to be fully present, mentally absorbed, and engaged in what you’re doing in the moment,” says Chris Aiken, MD, an instructor in clinical psychiatry at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and director of the Mood Treatment Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “Any activity that does that is going to improve your mental health.” These types of activities — like playing sports or driving — allow you to zone out. You simply focus on what’s happening at that moment, pushing other thoughts, fears, and anxieties to the side. This causes a calming, stress-relieving effect.

“The whole idea behind focusing on one thing for an extended period of time is to bring us into the present,” says Kimberly Wulfert, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Ventura, California. “The past doesn’t exist. The future doesn’t exist. Our whole awareness is being brought into what’s happening at that given point in time.”

Meditative Effects of Coloring

You can reap the meditative benefits of coloring by paying attention to the details of the activity, notes Dr. Wulfert. “In coloring, you’ve got this physical sensation of the tool you’re using touching on the paper. You also have the feeling in your hands and fingers holding this tool, and moving in different rhythms as you fill in the space,” she says, adding that “you’re being mindful, and when you move in a rhythmic fashion for an extended period of time, that becomes a meditation.”

While some people may have trouble with traditional meditation — which mostly focuses on stillness and concentrating on the breath — coloring provides an outlet to meditate while also physically doing something. “Coloring offers some structure,” Wulfert says. “You’ve got silence but you have something to fill it with, which may make some people more comfortable.”

Although the effects of adult coloring have yet to be studied in a scientific setting, one small study shows that being artistic can improve mental health. Researchers found that among people with major depression, those deemed to have the personality trait “openness” — with particular characteristics like artistic, dreamy and imaginative, adventurous, and unconventional — appeared to respond better to treatment.

Dr. Aiken says these findings suggest that people may want to go against convention while coloring and go outside the lines, so to speak.

“Depression is the opposite of creativity,” Aiken says. “It says to the person do things the same way every day. Don’t take any risks. Don’t do anything new. Don’t think outside the box. Stay in your bed. Stay in your room. Don’t try anything. And being adventurous or creative would certainly counter depression.”

Tips on Coloring for Stress Relief

If you’re curious to see if adult coloring will have a calming effect on you, Wulfert suggests trying the activity with a friend, but be sure not to speak to one another and to concentrate on the task at hand. “If you do it with someone and you do it intentionally, put a timer on so it’s uninterrupted,” she says.

“It’s not about how far you get or how much you get done of the picture. None of that matters at all. It’s the process. It’s getting you out of your head and into your body and focusing on the coloring,” says Wulfert.